Lecture 5 - Social Influence

Question 1

What is social influence?

Answer 1

The process whereby people directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings and actions of others

Question 2

What are the three different types of social infleunce?

Answer 2

• Compliance/ obedience
• Conformity
• Minority influence

Question 3

What is compliance/ obedience?

Answer 3

Change that goes against one’s own beliefs (i.e., public behavioural change not accompanied by private attitude change)

Question 4

What is conformity?

Answer 4

Change that restructures one’s underlying beliefs (i.e., public behavioural change that is accompanied by private attitude change)

Question 5

What is minority influence?

Answer 5

Process whereby numerical or power minorities change the attitudes of the majority

Question 6

What is Milgram 1963’s study’s aim?

Answer 6

To understand the extent to which people will obey orders even when aware they are causing harm

Question 7

What is Milgram’s 1963 study’s participants?

Answer 7

40 Male Participants recruited through newspaper advert

Question 8

What year did Milgram vary his procedure?

Answer 8

1974

Question 9

Milgram Sample

Answer 9

Volunteer of 40 males

Question 10

Milgram Method

Answer 10

• rigged hat = confederates is learner and ppt as teacher
• ppts gives a series of word pairs and if confederate gets wrong, ppt gives them an electric shock

Question 11

Milgram Shock Levels

Answer 11

from 15V to 450V and went up in 15V increments

Question 12

Milgram: what happens at 300V

Answer 12

learner falls silent

Question 13

How was Milgram’s experiment standardised

Answer 13

The confederates ‘noises’ as a response to the shocks were prerecorded

Question 14

Milgram: How many ppts went to 450V?

Answer 14

65%

Question 15

Milgram: How many ppts stopped at 300V?

Answer 15

12.5%

Question 16

Milgram Conclusion

Answer 16

Obey acts of evil not due to an evil disposition but a result of situational factors

Question 17

Milgram variation: less responsibility

Answer 17

Another confederate gives shocks
92% go to 450V

Question 18

Milgram variation: Ally

Answer 18

Ally disagrees with experimenter
10% go to 450V

Question 19

Milgram variation: Setting

Answer 19

Less prestigious setting of a run down office block
48% go to 450V

Question 20

Milgram Variation: experimenter in everyday clothes

Answer 20

20% go to 450V

Question 21

Milgram Variations: Absent experimenter

Answer 21

21% go to 450V

Question 22

Milgram Variation: Learner in the same room

Answer 22

40% go to 450V

Question 23

What are the ethical considerations of Milgram’s study?

Answer 23

• Milgram asked his colleagues what they thought would happen – but no such thing as an ethics committee
• One participant had a heart attack, many experienced distress

Question 24

What methodological and data issues occur in Milgram’s study?

Answer 24

• Gina Perry – examined archival materials from original studies
• Reported that supervisors (i.e., authority figures) went off script, some participants were aware of the purpose of the study, and debriefing didn’t occur for months for some

Question 25

What alternative interpretation is there in Milgram's study?

Answer 25

- Reicher and Haslam – point out that the context of the study (see 1974 versions) can lead to variation in level of obedience - Importance of identification – with the scientific process, with the ”learner”…

Question 26

What was Sherif 1935's study looking at?

Answer 26

The autokinetic effect

Question 27

What did Sherif do in his 1935 study?

Answer 27

1. Asked participants to estimate how far a light moved on several trials: - Estimates converged on an idiosyncratic value (typical to that individual). 2. Then asked people to estimate how far the light moved in groups of 2 or 3 3. Finally, participants were asked to perform task once more alone …

Question 28

What did Sherif find in his 1935 study?

Answer 28

- People need to be certain + confident in the correctness of their actions This situation was ambiguous and uncertain - People looked to others to help define “reality” Once developed, the norms anchor perceptions of reality → If social influence is the product of ambiguity, would people be less influenced if they could objectively measure movement?

Question 29

Asch's line judgment task - how many ppts

Answer 29

- 123 ppts

Question 30

Asch - where were people sat

Answer 30

real ppt sat penultimate rest were confederates

Question 31

Asch - confederates answers

Answer 31

same but incorrect 12/18 times

Question 32

Asch - ppts correct when confederate correct

Answer 32

98%

Question 33

Asch - ppts correct when confederate incorrect

Answer 33

36.8%

Question 34

Asch - how many ppt conformed

Answer 34

75%

Question 35

Asch - how many ppts always conformed

Answer 35

5%

Question 36

Asch - how many ppts never conformed?

Answer 36

25%

Question 37

Asch - conclusion

Answer 37

Some conform even when clearly wrong

Question 38

Variables affecting Asch conformity - grp size

Answer 38

group size increase -> higher conformity but plateaus at 3/4

Question 39

Variables affecting Asch conformity - anonymity

Answer 39

reduced to 12.5%

Question 40

Variables affecting Asch conformity - ambiguity

Answer 40

high ambiguity led to high conformity - ISI

Question 41

Variables affecting Asch conformity - Ally

Answer 41

dropped to 5.5%

Question 42

What are the dual-process theories?

Answer 42

Normative and informational influence

Question 43

Who constructed the dual-process theory?

Answer 43

Deutsch & Gerard (1955)

Question 44

What is information influence?

Answer 44

Influence to achieve accurate perceptions - the want to be right

Question 45

What is normative influence?

Answer 45

Influence to gain approval and avoid rejection - the want to be liked

Question 46

What are the limitations of the dual-process theory?

Answer 46

- The problem of “residual conformity” - Characterising other people as either sources of (valid) information or sources of (invalid) social pressure highlights dynamics of interpersonal dependency. - Ignores other forms of relationship between individuals and sources of influence, the importance of group belonging.

Question 47

What is the self-categorization theory?

Answer 47

- argues that groups are part of the self - not just external influences - Groups (and other people) provide people with social identity, a sense of who they are and what that means - The influence of self-defining social groups is both informational and normative at the same time:

Question 48

What is the aim of Platow et al (2005)'s study?

Answer 48

To explore whether laughter depends on a shared sense of social identity

Question 49

What are the participant's in Platow et al's study?

Answer 49

60 undergraduate students

Question 50

What did Platow et al do in their study?

Answer 50

Asked participants to listen to a potentially funny recording and manipulated whether participants believed the audience was predominantly comprised of in-group or out-group members (as well as presence or absence of canned laughter), then rate how funny they found the recording

Question 51

What is minority influence?

Answer 51

→ Individuals have agency, and individuals can influence large majorities → Conflict, innovation and change are also important features of society

Question 52

What is Moscovici et al 1969 study?

Answer 52

- In groups of 6, participants were presented with a blue slide (varying in intensity) + asked to name the colour 3 conditions: - Control (6 naïve participants/ no confederates) - Inconsistent minority (confederate said “green” 2/3 of time + “blue” 1/3 of time) - Consistent minority (confederate always said “green”)

Question 53

What are the theories of minority influence?

Answer 53

1. Majority influence → direct public compliance - People accept what the majority has to say - Little or no private attitude change - Short-term change 2. Minority influence → indirect, latent private change - People have to think about the minority and try to understand them - More enduring - Occurs through process of conversion